National Geographic lauds Burpee dino finds

Wednesday

Dec 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMDec 31, 2008 at 7:24 PM

National Geographic used words like “sexy,” “amazing” and “a shocker” to describe a dinosaur find this year by scientists from the Burpee Museum of Natural History. And that June article was among the top 10 most-read stories on dinosaurs and fossils covered by National Geographic News in 2008.

Georgette Braun

National Geographic used words like “sexy,” “amazing” and “a shocker” to describe a dinosaur find this year by scientists from the Burpee Museum of Natural History.

And that June article was among the top 10 most-read stories on dinosaurs and fossils covered by National Geographic News in 2008.

It told of paleontologists who in just three weeks of work on federal land near Hanksville, Utah, “unearthed at least two meat-eating dinosaurs, a probable Stegosaurus and four sauropods — long-necked, long-tailed plant-eaters that could reach 130 feet (40 meters) long, making them the largest animals ever to have walked the Earth.”

Scott Williams, collections and exhibits manager at Burpee, said in an e-mail Tuesday to the Register Star that it has been an honor to be mentioned by National Geographic: “The Hanksville-Burpee Quarry was a tremendous find. ... I’m confident that ... we will excavate several skeletons over the next decade. Burpee has the real potential to build a ‘shock-and-awe’ Jurassic dinosaur exhibit, unlike any other museum.”

Burpee is home to Jane, the bones of a young T. rex on display since 2005. The bone display of another young T. rex called Petey is not yet completed. But the skull of Homer, a juvenile triceratops, is mounted.

For more information, go to nationalgeographic.com and type in “top 10 dinosaur and fossil finds” in the Search field, and burpee.org.

Staff writer Georgette Braun may be reached at 815-987-1331 or gbraun@rrstar.com.